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A review by alina_leonova
The City Below the Cloud by T.S. Galindo
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
An interesting short novella set in a grim dystopian world. Life is tough and joyless in the city below the cloud: acid rain is incessant, air pollution is rampant, no sun reaches the ground through the toxic cloud and even artificial light is scarce, all jobs are menial and dangerous, and there is nothing constant in people's lives. All they can hope for is finding a task to perform before others do so that they can earn just enough charge (units of energy used instead of money) to get bland food and a roof over their heads for one night.
The main character is Kalan who is trying to provide for herself and her sister. Something strange starts happening to her, breaking her out of the routine. Suddenly, she has a new purpose, and she discovers a horrible secret about her world.
I enjoyed the story and found it quite original. The premise was really interesting, though a bit too grim for my taste (there was absolutely nothing good about the world). There was a plot twist around the middle, and from that moment on, there were a couple of horror elements.
I would prefer a bit more complexity to the story: the main characters and the antagonist could have been fleshed out better, and the social divide could have been more nuanced. However, I realize that the novella is just too short to have room for those details, besides, that's a personal preference.
The novella explores the issues of systemic inequality, injustice and the power of human connection.
You might enjoy the story if you like dark dystopian settings, don't mind a bit of horror and are looking for a shorter read.
Check out my blog about sci-fi by women and non-binary authors for book reviews, interviews, lists, short stories and more.
The main character is Kalan who is trying to provide for herself and her sister. Something strange starts happening to her, breaking her out of the routine. Suddenly, she has a new purpose, and she discovers a horrible secret about her world.
I enjoyed the story and found it quite original. The premise was really interesting, though a bit too grim for my taste (there was absolutely nothing good about the world). There was a plot twist around the middle, and from that moment on, there were a couple of horror elements.
I would prefer a bit more complexity to the story: the main characters and the antagonist could have been fleshed out better, and the social divide could have been more nuanced. However, I realize that the novella is just too short to have room for those details, besides, that's a personal preference.
The novella explores the issues of systemic inequality, injustice and the power of human connection.
You might enjoy the story if you like dark dystopian settings, don't mind a bit of horror and are looking for a shorter read.
Check out my blog about sci-fi by women and non-binary authors for book reviews, interviews, lists, short stories and more.